EVANSVILLE, IN --The Morehead State women's basketball team kept Southern Indiana to just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc in a 4-for-22 shooting performance, but fell 70-55 to the Screaming Eagles on the road Saturday.
The Eagles (10-8, 5-2 OVC) had three players score in double figures, led by Veronica Charles, who had 16 points and three steals. Katie Novik tacked on 13 points and two steals and Hallie Rhodes helped out with 11 points.
Blessing King pulled down nine offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 12 offensive boards and turning them into eight second chance points.
The Morehead State defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday's game, forcing 15 Southern Indiana turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 10 points on the offensive end of the floor. Charles' three steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
How It Happened
After falling behind 11-10, Morehead State went on a 5-0 run with 1:55 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Novik, to take a 15-11 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 15 points.
Morehead State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 9:23 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Skylar Barnes, to increase its lead to 20-11. The Screaming Eagles then came roaring back to take a 39-31 lead heading into halftime.
Morehead State's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Eagles faced a 56-44 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 13 points in the paint.
Southern Indiana kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 58-44 advantage before Morehead State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by King's layup, to shrink the deficit to 58-49 with 5:35 to go in the contest. Southern Indiana responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 70-55. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 11 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Morehead State played solid perimeter defense, holding Southern Indiana to 18 percent from beyond the arc on 22 attempts.
» The Morehead State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Morehead State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Veronica Charles led the Eagles with 16 points.
» Morehead State got a game-high 13 rebounds from Blessing King.
Morehead State is off on Thursday, with some extra time to prepare for a showdown with Western Illinois on Jan. 27 at Johnson Arena.Â
